On 24 June, the Connolly Youth Movement held an alternative pride event for those members of the LGBTQ+ community who aren’t eager to march beside a garda or behind Micheál Martin.
The event was held at Rosie Hackett bridge, starting at 12pm with the official Pride march. There was strong attendance from groups such as Food not Bombs, the Independent Workers Union, the Communist Party of Ireland, Trans and Intersex Pride, and the Industrial Workers of the World.
As the official march moved by there were chants of “NO CORPS, NO PIGS, NO TERFS” between speeches, as a banner declaring “NO PIGS AT PRIDE” was hung from the bridge.
“We cannot rely on corporations, we cannot rely on the police, we can only rely on each other” said the speaker from the CYM as they opened the speeches. They were followed up by speakers from CPI, the IWU, IWW, and T&I Pride.
As long as pride remains an event infiltrated by corporations and the ruling class, the CYM will provide an alternative space for queer young people to celebrate and fight back.
The inclusion of the Gardaí and FF/FG politicians has never been appropriate at what started as a protest. As both of these groups sit and watch the emboldening of far right organisations, content to see the anger they created redirected towards vulnerable minorities, their presence at Pride has become increasingly absurd.
Pride needs leverage as a protest against bigotry enabled by the government, leverage it can never have while it welcomes agents of that government, and caters to corporations that will throw their rainbow flags to the wind the second they stop being profitable. The purpose of Alt Pride is to return Pride to its roots as a protest against politicians and police that harm queer people and allow them to be used as scapegoats.